Chapter 894
The Gift in the Cage
Chapter 894 The Gift in the Cage
While Dumbledore was reading the documents, Wade brewed another pot of black tea beside him. The rising steam blurred the outline of his thin profile, and the aroma of the tea spread silently in the silence.
After reading the last line of text, Dumbledore looked up and suddenly realized that Vader's face had almost lost its childlike innocence, replaced by an almost cold and stern profile, and the edges that had been quietly polished by the years.
He paused before speaking, gently put down the document, and said in a mild voice, "I'm glad you know why I've come, Wade, and I've never doubted the righteousness of your goals."
Wade placed the black tea in front of Dumbledore and said softly, "I'm sorry, Professor."
Dumbledore's gaze fell on the swaying tea, and he asked, "Why are you apologizing?"
"Because I knew where the boundary was, but I still crossed it; I also knew that private trials and executions were trampling on order, but I acquiesced to my puppet doing so."
Wade said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, Professor, I've let you down."
Dumbledore remained silent for a long time, gazing at the slightly trembling reflection on the tea surface before turning his gaze to Wade's fluffy black hair.
At that moment, the boy's gentle attitude in admitting his mistake touched Dumbledore far more than his argument.
In an instant, his previous worries and vague fears seemed to vanish like smoke, and his tense mind relaxed.
After a moment, he looked at Wade, his gaze deep but without reproach: "True darkness never comes from the abuse of power, but from the arbitrary application of justice. Wade, you have borne too much, and you have reached the edge of a choice too quickly."
As he said this, the corners of his mouth pursed slightly, and anger towards certain people welled up in his eyes again.
Then, the old man softened his tone: "Actually, I know that gentle methods are pale and powerless when faced with the darkness rooted in power and greed. And the Ministry of Magic... they are often bound by red tape and unable to stop the spread of this darkness."
"So, Wade, what you did... wasn't wrong."
Wade suddenly looked up, seemingly somewhat surprised.
Dumbledore couldn't help but smile: "What, do you think Albus Dumbledore is just a rigid old man who only knows how to follow the rules?"
“Of course…of course not.” Wade shook his head and said, “But I thought…you wouldn’t want to see me do that. Instead, you would insist on, well, fighting in the right way or something.”
"Ah, that's how I set standards for myself, but I wouldn't set those standards for you."
Dumbledore took a sip of hot tea and said self-deprecatingly, "I am always on guard because I am afraid of being corrupted by power."
“But for you, Wade, I hope to give you more freedom to choose your own path, rather than binding you with my standards.”
“I know that too,” he said softly, turning his gaze to the blank wall, “that following established rules can sometimes seem… cowardly and foolish.”
"But rather than unleashing the beast within me, I'd rather be seen as a confused, timid old madman."
“But Professor,” Wade said, “it is precisely because you always hold reverence in your heart that you can never become the kind of person you fear…isn’t that right?”
Dumbledore glanced at him helplessly, his expression somewhat complicated.
"So what do you plan to do next?" He put down his teacup and said, "Those people have already sensed the danger and will probably cut off all the exposed tails decisively, and won't give you the chance to wipe them all out. It will even become more difficult to find their whereabouts."
"Sometimes, the answer to a question doesn't necessarily have to come from someone else."
Wade said calmly, clearly having had this idea for a while:
"Because the Harrington family joined Prometheus, they received some secret intelligence and preferential treatment in resources, which enabled the company to grow rapidly in a short period of time."
He paused briefly, his eyes sharpening. "Such benefits couldn't possibly be exclusive to the Harrington family. Therefore, if we could compile a list—"
"Who were the ones who weathered the storm with the Harringtons when the crisis struck?"
"When a major opportunity arises, who seizes it in time, or even makes thorough preparations as if they had foreseen it..."
"Then nine out of ten people like that are members of Prometheus."
"In this way, the people we are looking for will definitely have nowhere to hide."
Attitudes and political stances can be faked, and even the same company can sometimes engage in fierce internal competition in the market. But all hidden relationships will be clearly exposed by data.
Having seized the Harrington family as a breakthrough point, Vader believed that he could use this data-paved path to reach the deepest core of Prometheus's secrets.
"Since you already have a feasible solution, there's nothing more I can teach you."
Dumbledore, holding his warm teacup, blinked and said, “But Wade, you don’t have to take all this on yourself. When you need… well… help from a ‘less conventional’ old man, you know I’m here.”
“If necessary, I won’t force myself to handle things alone,” Wade said with a smile. “But right now… I can manage the situation here, and Hogwarts needs you more.”
To be precise, when Dumbledore was still at Hogwarts, everything was peaceful and Voldemort was patiently laying the groundwork for himself, which made the headmaster's presence seem somewhat superfluous.
But once that person is certain that Dumbledore has left England, he will immediately take some action—
Infiltrate the Ministry of Magic, break into Hogwarts, or seize the opportunity to kill Harry Potter!
This is a situation that Dumbledore absolutely does not want to see.
Dumbledore sighed slightly, then took out a delicate little cage from his pocket. Inside was a twig, on which a green, spiky caterpillar was perched.
Wade looked at the object, then looked at the principal with a puzzled expression.
“This is a helper I borrowed for you from my old friend Newt. It will… oh, look, it’s awake.”
As Dumbledore was speaking, the "caterpillar" in the cage suddenly spread its pair of blue wings and flew around the cage like a moth the size of a thumb.
Vader gasped, "This is... a Winged Demon?"
Its unique colors and shapes, along with its ability to shrink and contract at will, are truly impressive.
Dumbledore chuckled, “It seems I don’t need to introduce this little fellow anymore.”
“Yes.” Wade carefully took the cage, his eyes shining as he looked at the creature inside. “I know the Winged Demon. Its venom, when diluted, can erase bad memories… and it also has a strong resistance to spells.”
The winged demon raised by Newt Scamander could even withstand Grindelwald's spells at their peak! Among magical creatures classified as XXXXX level, it is in a class of its own.
Dumbledore smiled and said, “Newt heard that you needed it and lent it to me without hesitation… I think it will be of great help to you.”
“Of course, thank you, Professor.” Wade’s fingertips lightly touched the patterns on the cage. Seeing the winged demon curiously approach his fingers, he couldn’t help but smile. “This helper has come at just the right time.”
“Remember, use your power wisely, Vader,” Dumbledore said. “But don’t forget that you are never fighting alone.”
(End of this chapter)